All So Fragile
by snow-dance
Summary: When Sweden saves Finland - whom Sweden believed was a girl - from a near death incident, Sweden falls for Finland. Fantasy becomes reality for the Swede when an impending disaster befalls on him and all he loves. People bend and break because they're all so fragile. SuFin and other minor pairings. R&R please! Nordic-centric.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: **(PLEASE READ)** This is, decidedly, a SuFin fanfic with various pairings as well, though fairly minor. I would like to point out before you start reading that because Sweden is a main character, I have decided to remove all the slurs in his words. This is solely because the slurs are a tad hard to write and reading them might also be a problem to a few.

Hetalia © Hidekaz Himaruya

With that I begin.

* * *

The moon was high in the sky and clouds obscured it from view. Weak rays penetrated from behind the clouds and cast faint hues across the city. The numerous stars alike were also hidden from view by the dark clouds that promised rain.

22-year-old Finland stood waiting on the sidewalk. He was just waiting for his best friend and colleague, Norway, who had gone to the convenient store across the road. Norway and Finland shared an apartment; it was mainly because bills were easier managed when two people were paying for it. Norway had a younger brother who had just hit 16. Down with flu at the moment, Iceland had been whining for some sort of magazine to past the time. Norway had thus decided to go get some magazines since the convenient store was (conveniently, might I add) just across the road.

The wind picked up speed and ruffled Finland's hair, his golden strands flying in all directions. The temperature had dropped to a freezing temperature of 16 degrees outside and Finland wrapped his jacket around him tightly.

**ooOoo**

"I swear that monster of a Boss is messing with us! No one else had to stay back to finish up extra reports other than us!" Denmark whined.

"Mhmm…" Sweden replied half-heartedly, his mind elsewhere.

"At this rate, I'm going to be eating take outs for the rest of my life." Denmark huffed.

Both men had been friends since the age of 9. They played together, studied together, reached puberty together, got in trouble together, traveled to the big city together, got a job together, the list simply goes on and on. Simply put, they always did things together. Except live together of course. Denmark had always joked that he would not like to be seen as being intimate with Sweden. It just would not do for a man with such an image to uphold. After all, they were the best of friends and that was all they'd ever be.

As they turned down the street, Sweden saw a girl standing on the sidewalk further down. With shoulder length hair the colour of chrome yellow, the small stature constantly tugged at the stray strands that were whipped around in the cutting wind. Her violet eyes were fixed on the convenient store across the road, her gaze unwavering as if trying to conjure something from thin air.

Across the road, the automatic doors of the convenient store slid open and a man with platinum blond hair stepped out. He was clutching a small paper bag to his chest, the paper bag was filled with numerous magazines, some were even stacked precariously atop one another. Concentrating on the magazines, the man took a wobbly step forward, slammed into a passerby and accidentally dropped the whole set of magazines.

Sweden's attention was jarred back to the girl as he heard her utter a soft cry which sounded much like an "ah".

"Norway!" she cried, her voice in a hysterical high pitch.

Without thinking, she dashed across the road to help this "Norway".

**ooOoo**

Finland ran across the road. His eyes were set on Norway who began to pick up the scattered magazines. However midway across the road, a pair of bright headlights trailed on to him, and Finland felt his body freeze in momentous terror.

**ooOoo**

Sweden didn't know what spurred him into action, but before he knew it, he was hurtling after the female. The girl's eyes were wide with terror; her expression was that of a deer in headlights. Somewhere in the background, he could hear a shout. But the words made no sense to him. His heart pounded in his ears as he grabbed the girl's arm and pulled her away just in time as the car drove past, the driver beeping his horn after them in anger. The loud blares echoed off the surrounding buildings and rang loudly in Sweden's ears.

Once safe on the other side, both stood to catch their breath.

"Are you okay?" Sweden mumbled, his words coming in short gasps as he took large gulps of air.

"Uh… uh yeah. I guess."

The girl squeaked her reply. Her eyes were glazed with fear and her raw emotions reflected off them.

Before either could say anything else, a familiar and overly cheerful voice called out from across the street.

" SVE! HEY! SVE! THE NEXT TRAIN DEPARTS IN 5 MINUTES, IF WE MISS IT, WE'LL BE WALKING HOME TONIGHT, AND I'M NOT WALKING HOME. LETS GOOOO!" the Dane hollered.

Sweden rolled his eyes. Trust Denmark to ruin every moment in his life.

* * *

" I don't think he's heard a word I said! Hungary, do something!" Denmark complained.

Hungary giggled, her eyes trailing onto Sweden

"Sve! You've been out of it since you saved that guy from the car accident! You didn't suffer a concussion did you?" Denmark exclaimed, worry clouding his azure eyes.

"What guy?" Sweden replied puzzled, " I saved a girl…"

"That was a _girl_? Wow, she really pulled off as a guy. I really thought she was a guy…"

After a short pause, as Denmark speculated the fact that he had mistaken a girl for a guy, Hungary broke into a fit of laughter. Her whole body trembled as she tried to control her laughter. Hungary never thought that Sweden was capable of such emotion with his face so stern and unsmiling.

"_Oh._ I see what's happening," Hungary chimed, her emerald eyes twinkling suspiciously.

"You _do_?" Denmark gasped, " tell me!"

"What Sve is suffering from is love at first sight," Hungary declared, " it's ok, don't have to be shy! That's how it was with me and Austria."

Sweden's face was beetroot red by now; he himself couldn't put a finger to this emotion. Fact was, he's never felt it before. Initially he was worried; he had thought that he had contracted some kind of transmittable disease of eternal happiness from the happy-go-lucky Dane. Hungary's statement reassured him that he wasn't turning into another mischievous and foolishly happy Denmark.

"So you're saying, Sve has been mooning over a girl he doesn't know?" Denmark said, his lips pursed and eyebrows knitted together in deep contemplation.

"I'm not." Sweden said, asserting himself.

"m'kay," Denmark said, dropping the subject immediately then turning to Hungary, " how long d'ya think the boss will keep me here tonight? They're showing this really intriguing documentary on the makings of donuts. I can't miss that!"

With that, Sweden allowed himself to drift back into his own conscience, his mind capturing every detail of the girl's face. What he wanted to know now, was her name.

* * *

Norway flipped through the 100 paged documents. He gritted his teeth. His boss was a jerk, sometimes Norway believed that his boss's crude demands were the sole reason why his Boss's eyebrows grew to a shocking size and were twice as hairy as normal.

"Fin, could you pass me the highlighter?" Norway muttered, pointing with his index finger to an uncapped blue highlighter that lay strewn on the tabletop.

When Finland had failed to respond to this, Norway peered over the top of his folder. Finland had been moaning and groaning for the past three days since his near death incident. Other than being really noisy, Finland had also been very restless, spinning around in his swivel chair. At home, Finland would flick the television channels one after the other, claiming that none of them showed any program of interest. Then he'd go disturb the sick Iceland, who was none other than Norway's younger brother.

"_Fin_," Norway sighed, "you've been at it for days. Relax."

"But I didn't _thank_ him properly!" Finland wailed, tears springing to his eyes, "What's he going to think of me? He probably thinks I'm an ungrateful bastard who doesn't even feel gratitude when someone saves _his life_!"

Norway flinched. The tears, always the tears. Shaking his head, Norway reached for the highlighter, stretching past Finland's workspace to grab it. Suddenly, Finland took hold of Norway's wrist, and Norway blinked in surprise.

"_Norrrr_! What am I going to do!" Finland wailed, shaking Norway's hand vigorously.

"Fin! Calm down! You probably won't see him again. He probably didn't notice you forgot to thank him either." Norway said, as he eased his wrist out of Finland's death grip and made a reach for the highlighter again. But Finland would have none of it as he grabbed at Norway's hand and started shaking it.

So close yet so far, Norway mused inwardly as he looked at the highlighter in dismay.

* * *

"What are your plans for today?" Sweden asked Denmark, an air of indifference rang in his voice, as if the question was asked just for the sake of asking. They were walking back to the office after their lunch break and Sweden walked alongside the Dane.

"Since our _dear_ Boss decided to let us off early today, I think I'll go catch that documentary on donuts today!" Denmark laughed, flashing Sweden his signature grin.

"And drinking beer while you're at it?"

"Sve! I do control my alcohol intake you know! I don't guzzle beer everyday! I don't want to die of liver cirrhosis or what have you not." Denmark pouted, " Why? Was there something you wanted to do?"

"I thought… well…"

"Go on!"

"Take a trip to the convenient store."

"_What_?" Denmark stared at Sweden with wide-eyed disbelief, " no joke? What's there to do? Have you never gone to a convenient store bef-. _Oh. Ohhhh_. You're hoping she'd be there again, right?"

A sly grin broke out across Denmark's face.

"Sure I'll go with ya!" Denmark laughed.

Sweden blinked. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

"Never mind. I said nothing." Sweden mumbled as his face heated up, he then increased his walking pace so that Denmark had to run to close the gap. With that, both men made their return trip to the office.


	2. Chapter 2

Although Sweden tried for days, he could never find that one person who had managed to steal his heart on sight. The countless expeditions, which he paid to the various convenient stores around the city – not to mention with Denmark in tow – was a failure. It disappointed the Swede to no end, but driven with sheer determination, Sweden continued surveying the city streets in the hopes of finding the nameless blonde.

Denmark twirled in his swivel chair.

"Hey Sve, if you really wanted to know about her, why didn't you ever check for her name on the internet?" Denmark inquired.

"What?" Sweden immediately snapped his attention to Denmark, his eyes widened in disbelief, "You knew her name? And you didn't tell me!"

"Well yeah sure, her friend across the road yelled her name out. I thought you knew."

"Well I _didn't_." Sweden growled.

Denmark flinched.

"You didn't ask," Denmark snapped.

"Why would I ask when I didn't know you knew! Plu-"

"Ahhh… Mr. Boss would like to see both of you in his office," Came a feeble voice, belonging to none other than the happy-go-lucky Spaniard of the office.

Both Scandinavians jerked their head in Spain's direction, tension hung in the atmosphere like a storm about to break.

Fluttering nervously, Spain made a hasty excuse and scuttled off to find his Prussian bestie. No one liked the Scandinavians when they were at their meanest.

* * *

"You lookin' for us, Boss?" Denmark asked, opening the teak door that let into the major office of the building.

Their American boss, with sandy blond hair and eyes that radiated pride and everlasting glee, looked up from his paper work. Adjusting his glasses, which had slipped down the crook of his nose, the American smiled broadly at them. The gleaming oak table glimmered somewhat maliciously at them, and a giant plaque card with the name " Alfred Jones" written in bold italics on it, stood on the desk, as if to boast the significance of the name written on it. Printed in finer print at the bottom of the name was "Little Hero", the pathetic name of the big time company.

"We're not in any trouble, are we?" Sweden ventured quietly, " I swear that if anything happened involving the two of us, it was all Denmark's idea."

"Woah. Hey. Don't go and blame me for everything!" Denmark hissed quietly to Sweden.

"Guys! Come on, both of you. Both of you are considered the few of my prized workers in this here company! Little Hero would not have made it this far! Take a seat, take a seat!" Mr Jones gestured to the two cushioned chairs before the oak table.

"So what's this 'bout?" Sweden mumbled, as he gingerly took a seat.

"I'm glad you asked! Well, I think-"

"You _think?_"

"Hush Mr. Denmark. Let me finish. Yes, I think I'm planning on doing a joint project with this other company. I think you'd be quite familiar with it since it's another company that's been widely renowned for it's stationary production."

"Are you talking about 'Imaginary Ink'?" Denmark snorted. Personally he thought the company name was just as bad as the one he worked in. After all, who in the right mind would buy pens that has _imaginary_ ink?

"Otherwise known as I2. Igg- Mr. Kirkland has agreed to a joint project and I'm sending in my best workers to ensure that this project sees nothing but success. If you were to see to its success, I can guarantee you both a raise and a promotion." Mr. Jones said, concluding his briefing with reaping rewards.

Both Sweden and Denmark nodded slowly, taking in and digesting the bits of information thoroughly.

* * *

The taxi pulled over at the grand entrance to the company of Imaginary Ink. The building towered over 60 stories high and just above the entrance was a massive Light Emitting Diode (LED) screen stretched wide across, where commercials were played non stop. Both men were just in time to see a commercial begin.

The screen flickered to life as a commercial began its screening. The initial scene showed a girl in an examination hall, her eyes were twitching in frustration as the pen she was using failed to work. Tapping the pen on the table, the girl bit her lower lip as she concentrated on the question paper. The screen then showed a clock, with the time ticking by. Suddenly, a friend tossed her a pen with the logo "I2" engraved onto the side. As if enlightened, the girl began to answer the questions one by one as she breezed through the paper. When the bell rang, the girl stood up immediately to hand in her script.

Sweden blinked in disbelief. The story line had been so pathetic; it was a wonder the company managed to sell anything. As he returned his gaze to the screen, he saw the video fade out to black and words in bold appeared on the screen. "Pen ink flows so smoothly, you'd feel as if the pen writes on its own."

"What a load of bullshit." Denmark breathed from next to him, a humourless grimace on his face.

Sweden chuckled, the Dane was absolutely right. " I feel the same too."

"Ah! I see you have arrived!"

Turning around to address this new person, both Sweden and Denmark were surprised to see the "girl" who Sweden had saved just days before. Because sure as sure, the two people who stood before them were both men.

"I'm Finland, and this is my colleague, Norway." Finland introduced slowly as realization slowly hit the Fin, " So, uhmm, how did you like the commercial? Mr. Norway and I are in charge of media promotion, and we worked tirelessly to come up with that commercial you've just seen. It's been one of our greatest works so far. It hasn't been aired on television yet… But it will soon! If I may, I'd like to boast for a bit. I'm very proud of the ending catch phrase, it took me days to come up with something that carried so much impact. If you don't mind, would you like to share your opinions on the commercial? We'd be honoured to listen to some advice and uhmm… ha ha ha…"

Finland looked sheepishly as he realized that he had just ranted on to clients who had no interest in such unilateral problems.

"Well to be honest," Denmark began, his voice tinged with unusual candor, " I found it very chea-_oomf_"

Sweden nudged Denmark in the ribs before the word 'cheap' could have been formed properly.

"He meant _cheerful_." Sweden interjected.

"Cheerful?" Norway snorted, eyeing them with skepticism.

"He's not very good at expressing himself." Sweden lied.

Denmark wore an expression of utmost bewilderment and incredulity. "_What?_"

"What he meant was that he feels very safe knowing that there are good pens, like the ones you produce, being sold in the local shops." Sweden lied, again.

"That's good to hear! The boss would be pleased!" Finland exclaimed, buying into those lies, " This way please, if you don't mind. I'll bring you to one of the conference rooms."

As the Finnish and Norwegian took the lead, Denmark fell in step with Sweden. A lazy smile had spread across Sweden's face and Denmark sighed.

"You, my friend, are a certified liar." Denmark remarked under his breath, taking extra cares that the shorter two men in front could not hear.

"Mhmm…" Sweden replied noncommittally.

* * *

" So I don't really know what all this hoo-ha was about, heck i didn't even read through the review Mr. Jones gave us. Hah, i don't understand anything about this joint project. But one thing's for sure, that was definitely the same person you saved." Denmark grumbled as he flagged down a cab.

Getting into the passenger seat with his friend, Sweden nodded absently.

"You said you saved a girl. Lo and behold, Finland was actually a guy."

"I thought so. Guess I was wrong."

Throughout the whole meeting at the company of Imaginary Ink, Sweden had found almost every possible reason to spend some time with the Finnish man, leaving Denmark with the Norwegian, who found every possible reason to stay _away_ from the Dane.

Denmark groaned. " Hey man, don't do this to me. Every time you leave me with Sir Norway, I feel like his eyes are scorching into my very skull and I might just die from all that electromagnetic _hate_ wave."

"Drama queen." Sweden sniffed.

"_King_. Drama _King_. Really Sve, you have to get your eyes check. Your glasses don't seem to do any good. You're mistaking _men_ for _women_."

Sweden really couldn't care less. He allowed the Dane to rant incessantly in the background while his mind wandered to the little Finnish man. Finland was _cute_. Sweden nodded his consent at having arrived at such a conclusion. He would try to get to know the Finnish man better tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Denmark slouched in his seat and stared out the window.

"Wait till Hungary hears 'bout it." Denmark sniffed. The journey back to their office would take quite awhile, and Sweden allowed himself to drift into sleep, lulled by the deep rumbling sounds of the motors.

* * *

A/N: Alas, the second chapter. I just love writing about the Nordics. I apologise for any OOC-ness. They were unintentional. The story title's relevance has yet to appear, but I assure you it will show in time. I hope you enjoyed this update! Cheers~ R&R would be appreciated. (:


	3. Chapter 3

"That was definitely the same guy who saved me!" Finland laughed, a serene smile graced his face, "I finally have a chance to thank him!"

"Why didn't you thank him before he left?" Norway asked, his voice a low and soft hum.

"Nor! Don't me down like that!" Finland wailed. True he had failed to thank the Swede yet again, but it would have been too awkward doing so at the office," What shall I do Nor? Should I thank him over lunch tomorrow?"

"Sounds ideal. Just don't forget. And don't leave me stranded with the dimwit he's always with."

Norway arranged the files on the shelf as Finland passed a final glance around the room before deeming that it was all right to set off for home.

"Hey Fin," Norway said as he turned out the lights and closed the door to their office, "what's for dinner?"

* * *

The sun filtered through the shutters. Sweden narrowed his eyes. It was that time of the day again, the time to wake up. His alarm clock rang loudly, disrupting any kind of peaceful thought. Sweden grimaced, work was never fun. Well at least he had the companionship of some one full of life (a Dane who he would not name) and not to mention the fact that he would be able to see the Finn again. He slugged out of bed to begin his morning rituals of bathing and coffee

**ooOoo**

The sun was basking in the bright sky, delivering a kind of oppressive heat that got Sweden drenched in sweat within minutes of stepping out of his door. He had done so much to persuade himself to just flag down a _damn_ taxi and just get to work. Denmark had not replied to his text yet so Sweden had decided to go to the building of the notorious I2 Company first.

Flapping his hand awkwardly to flag down any of the passing taxis, Sweden sighed. The promises of a fruitful and successful future seemed so empty. His future looked bleak. _How the hell did all those teachers back in school persuade me to work hard?_ He should have realized there was no such thing as a happy future no matter how hard you worked, judging by the miserable faces of those who taught him. Except for those who were born royal or had the inheritance of someone already famous. Just then a taxi stopped for him. Getting in, Sweden let out a relieved huff. He finally had relief from such the staggering heat wave, and he was on his way to see the little blond who had captured his heart on sight.

**ooOoo**

Sweden stepped into the tall building with Norway leading the way. He had been severely disappointed when Finland had failed to appear the minute Sweden reached the compound. Using an ID card, Norway opened the locked doors in the building as they made their way to the conference room they were about to work in. Although the joint project was something on a big scale, only a strange handful had been selected.

"Where's your annoying friend?" Norway asked, clearly uninterested, the question only for the sake of speaking.

"I don't know. I assumed he'd be here already." Sweden replied, taking in the long corridor that led to the single door further down. The walls were lined with paintings of landscapes and buildings, of flora and fauna. The ceiling had round fluorescent lamps placed at regular intervals and the floor was carpeted grey. The carpet muffled the sounds of their suede shoes and the lamps overhead gave a kind of unnatural glare.

Using his ID card for the last time, Norway opened the giant teak door to reveal a large conference room fit for 40 people. One of the walls was a large window stretched across; the outer layer was coated with a sparse layer of metal, so that no one could look in.

**ooOoo**

It was 10 minutes into the meeting when the Dane was ushered into the conference room. Although it wasn't him who was tardy, Sweden felt a kind of distinct embarrassment for the colleague he was associated with. The Dane looked irritable, his hair was mused and it seemed as if he just got out of bed not long ago.

Taking a seat next to Sweden, Denmark pulled out documents from his briefcase noisily, as if to tell the world about his sour mood. Everyone eyed the Danish man curiously.

"What?" Denmark spat.

"Right! Let us commence the meeting now then," intercepted a short enthusiastic Japanese man from the I2 Company. He had short raven black hair, and his dark eyes blazed with a fiery passion once he got into full swing. "Since two companies have come together, the prestigious Little Hero and our renowned company of I2, our task is to create an article that can be used and sold to the world by both companies. Our individual task is to brainstorm on the best profitable item that not only serves its purpose well but also benefits people!

"All ideas are welcomed! Since Little Hero has been known for it's appliances, like alarm clocks, ovens, handphones and such, perhaps we can come up with an amazing device that combines both appliances and stationeries together! Who's up for any ideas? A simple pen with the functions of a telephone perhaps? Or a pencil case with the ability to store information?"

"Today, let me present you what I have in mind!"

With that, the fiery Japanese switched on the projector to start off his presentation on PowerPoint slides. The slides flickered endlessly on the screen and everyone seemed enraptured by the showcase. Everyone except Sweden and Denmark.

Sweden stifled a yawn. They were supposed to brainstorm collectively, but of course people always had a jump-start of things, no one really played by the book. Sweden looked up and watched as Japan ran through his '_finest_' idea of joining a toaster and a notebook.

Sweden averted his gaze to the Finnish man down the row who was leaning forward and nodding at almost every statement the presenter made. He looked down to hide the small smile that made its way to his face.

* * *

"That was pure crack," Denmark snorted.

"Really? I thought it was brilliant!" Finland exclaimed with child-like innocence.

"I don't see why people would want a toaster with a notebook attached to it. I mean, what happens when the paper runs out? Voila, you now have a regular toaster! Congratulations! You've just wasted a hundred dollars on an extra notebook that wouldn't last!"

Denmark's words were brimming with such sarcasm that Finland flinched.

Sweden cocked an eyebrow but Denmark seemed not to heed. He continued on with his rant, " I mean, why don't you just use blue-tack to stick pieces of paper onto the toaster? I'm sure post-its would be a better and not to mention _cheaper_ option. Plus, what happens if the toaster overheats and the paper catches fire from all that heat emanated?"

When everyone just stared at him in pure silent horror, Denmark let out a shallow and awkward laugh. Sweden punched his shoulder.

"You'd do well to stop voicing out your disagreements so critically."

"Sorry… But…!"

Sweden threw him a lethal glare, telling him to shut up. To save the Dane some shame, Sweden stood up for his blabbering companion.

"Personally, I think Denmark's got a point. It's not a really safe thing to do."

"O-of course, of course. How could we have been so silly!" Finland stammered, agreeing with the Swede.

Norway watched the charade with skepticism; the only thing that startled him was the fact that a twit like Denmark could tell a lousy idea apart from a not-so-lousy idea.

The long, mundane conference had ended just 5 minutes before their lunch break, and Finland had quickly invited Sweden and Denmark to tag along with them. Denmark had politely declined the offer, though his declination was swiftly and abruptly interrupted by Sweden who eagerly accepted the offer.

"Great! I know a great place to eat downtown. The food there is simple delicious! And there's this shop near the eatery that has the best salmiakki ever!" Finland laughed cheerfully.

Sweden and Denmark exchanged a swift glance.

"I heard they put ammonium chloride into those things. _Ammonium_ of all things." Sweden whispered.

"God help me…" Denmark whimpered dramatically, "I hope it doesn't taste as bad as ammonia smells…"

Overhearing the conversation, Norway turned to them and flashed them the most wicked grin he could muster – which was awfully scary. " It tastes delightful. Every night before we sleep, we react the salmiakki with some alkali and stink up the whole room to keep the ghosts and zombies away."

Sweden belched and Denmark's eyebrow twitched. Well, whatever this salmiakki thing was, Sweden would stomach a whole jar of it if doing so would please the innocent Finn.

* * *

The giant food court was teeming with all sorts of people, mostly commuters on their lunch break. Though there was a wide range of commuters, fat, slim, fashionable, and the not-so-fashionable. They made their way through a swarm of people and finally managed to grab a table where they can actually sit and eat later.

"Right! Uhm if you like, I can show you around," Finland said to Sweden, " Nor can show Den around later! Do you mind if you guys wait at the table until we return?"

"Nope. Not all. Take your tim-" Denmark replied rigidly.

"Don't take your time. Come back here as soon as you can." Norway immediately intercepted.

"I'm hungry you see?" he added as an after thought.

"Right. Of course." Denmark snorted, as Finland and Sweden took their leave.

* * *

"They'll make a great pair of friends," Finland commented.

Sweden let out a chuckle. Personally, he was panicking inwardly; he didn't know what to do. His heart throbbed incredibly fast in his chest and he itched to take Finland's hand in his. He didn't know what had spurred this emotion; maybe it was the clear violet eyes of Finland, or maybe his pale but perfect complexion. Or it could be the way the sun had danced over Finland's hair, making it shine with a hue so brilliant and akin to gold.

Sweden jerked himself back to reality. He had just gotten to know the Finn; of course there'd be no way Finland could return the feeling. Sweden shook his head, clearing all kind of negative or besotted thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Finland inquired. The light reflected off the violet orbs in a radiant dance, Finland's eyes shimmered like crystals and looked like delicate glass.

"You have nice eyes…" Sweden mumbled thoughtlessly. He immediately regretted voicing his opinion out loud and scowled at himself for speaking so recklessly.

An awkward silence elapsed between the two of them and Sweden felt suddenly shy. A rosy blush began to spread across Finland's cheeks as he let the words sink in.

"Ahh… What I meant was that store looks good. Well what they sell looks good. What are they selling?" Sweden said pathetically, trying to divert the conversation in a new direction and brush off the awkwardness. He had to stop thinking like that, it seemed as if he had been reading too much romance novels, the kind where the author describes the prince charming as some kind of glittering doll made to perfection – which of course Sweden never read. Never.

Jerking out of his reverie, Finland exclaimed in an overly high pitch, "That store sells good spaghetti! Quick let's get in line!"

With that, Finland made a quick grab for Sweden's arm and pulled him over the stall before fishing out his wallet and fussing over money. Sweden mentally kicked himself. Way to spoil his time with Finland. He gritted his teeth as Finland frantically rambled on about losing small coins in his wallet.

* * *

When they had finished their meal, Finland had made a gesture of friendship by buying both Denmark and Sweden a tin of salmiakki each. Although both men had insisted on paying for it, Finland would hear none of it.

"So what am I supposed to do with this? React it with some alkali?" Denmark had asked Norway cynically.

Upon returning to the I2 Company, they were both whisked away to meet Japan, the enthusiastic Asian about the toaster issue. Finland and Norway had returned to their office where they were working on a new commercial storyboard to promote their new product of decorative gel pens.

**ooOoo**

"So I hope you've thanked him already. I won't sit through another lunch with that Danish fool. He kept watching me like some kind of perverted stalker," Norway grimaced.

"Oh no!" Finland wailed, "I completely forgot!"

"You're right. Oh no!" Norway muttered miserably.

"I'm sorry Nor! I-I, well no he- ahh… He said I had nice eyes and then I completely lost it!" Finland gabbled, his face turning beetroot red.

"What are you going to do now?"

"I'll invite them over!"

"Woah. Denmark is _not_ stepping into our house!"

"Then I'll invite just Sweden. Please Nor! I need to clear my conscience!"

Norway blinked sympathetically. He wasn't the most empathetic person on earth but he didn't really like to see the Finn in such hysteria. Norway nodded. It wasn't like Sweden was bad anyway, that man had sense.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm sure Ice wouldn't mind some extra company too. right?" Finland asked hopefully.

**ooOoo**

Finland played with the stray strands of his hair. He couldn't stop thinking about Sweden. His mind had been a whirring hurricane after the incident, and his heart fluttered in his chest whenever he recalled what Sweden said. Perhaps he was just anxious that Sweden held a grudge against him for not thanking him for his first encounter. He bit his lip. No he would definitely thank him soon. Today or tomorrow, it didn't matter really. He just needed to do it soon. So he'd stop feeling anxious. Or that's what Finland told himself anyway.

* * *

A/N: Well here's chapter 3! I have a bit of things planned out for this story! Also to those who are not chemistry inclined, **Ammonia is this really stinky gas. Have you ever stood outside the boy's toilet and smelt something foul? Well, Ammonia smells a bit like that, only worse. Don't stick your nose in a bottle of aqueous ammonia! Also, reacting ammonium compounds with an alkali produces ammonia gas.** So I guess you can make out what Norge is saying now? R&R would be appreciated w

PS. I'm not really sure what salmiakki is but i read from the internet that it's saltied liquorice using ammonium chloride for the salty effect sooo...

Also! To _HimekoUchia_: Thank you so much for the precious review you have given me! I'm very grateful for it and I hope this chapter would serve as well as the others I've typed out!


	4. Chapter 4

Norway twisted the key in the lock until the familiar "click" sound was heard. It had been a tiring day for him, especially during lunch break. He never told Finland, but he nearly picked a verbal argument with Denmark who had been extremely irritable that day. Finland didn't help by being extra fluttery and fidgety, their whole bus ride home had been a series of incoherent mumbling from the small Finnish man and several uninterested replies from the Norwegian.

Life for them both had gotten a bit hectic. They've fallen behind on the bills, and the fact that Iceland was sick and had just recovered did not help very much. It wasn't that they were overly poor; it was just that the house had been overly cluttered since no one could spare time to clean. As a result, the bills were concealed underneath piles of junk and things they couldn't recognize. This resulted in overdue bills with high penalty fees.

Finland made his way in after Norway. Feeling for the light switch, he accidentally stepped on something disgustingly soft and squishy underfoot. He sniffed, he was so used to living in cleaner quarters, and the sight of the disastrous living room that greeted them only dampened Finland's mood.

"I have to clean this up before Sweden comes over tomorrow…" Finland groaned inwardly, realizing the hopelessness of the situation.

Norway clicked his tongue. "Maybe Ice would be well enough to help us. I wonder if he's asleep now."

With that, Norway headed off to his room to leave his briefcase before heading to Iceland's bedroom to check up on his recovering brother. Finland sighed as he locked the steel gate and the mahogany door to their apartment. It wasn't a big place, but it was better than nothing. Finland let out another sigh as he tossed his own briefcase on the cluttered sofa before going to the kitchen to make some tea. Chamomile tea had always been his favourite.

There was so much to be done before Sweden could come over, and it wasn't like he had all day. Finland's mind drifted to the Swede, the perfect stoic face, sapphire eyes and the neatly combed hair that glowed with a pallid lemon yellow hue. Finland shook his head; nothing mattered now except getting his gratitude across to the Swedish man. Picking up strewn clothes on the floor, Finland began tidying up the room as he waited for some water to boil. It hadn't occurred to him that he actually wanted to give the Swede the finest impression of himself.

* * *

Whilst Finland and Norway were on their way home, Sweden and Denmark were at the subway, buying tickets for the latest train. Sweden couldn't understand, in the least, what was going on in Denmark's mind; a train trip home was too long for the Danish man to take from the I2 facility, yet for some strange reason, here they were, taking the train home.

Sweden ran a hand through his hair; he didn't know what bothered him more: the embarrassing words that he had let slip from his mouth during lunch break or the fact that Denmark was eerily quiet for the day.

"You okay?" Sweden offered quietly. The train station was deserted except for a few other commuters who had worked late shifts.

"Hmm? Yeah. Of course," Denmark replied vaguely, as he stared at the empty platform, mentally urging the train to travel faster.

"I'm convinced." Sweden remarked sarcastically.

"How about 'I was up till 3am last night consoling a desperately sad Hungary because Austria dumped her for some random violinist at an orchestral concert. And the fact that this morning, Mr. Jones had kindly asked me to report to the office early morn to talk to me about a complain report'?" Denmark fumed, " I have absolutely no doubt that, _that_ Norway actually filed it in for me. The worst part is that Mr. Jones refused to send in a replacement for me after receiving a complaint. I don't exactly get it."

"You don't know it was him. But anyway, I'm glad Mr. Jones refused to get you replaced." Sweden commented, casting a sideways glance at the Dane who kept staring distantly, "I don't think I can pull through this terrible project without my partner in crime."

Managing a small and somewhat shy smile, Sweden gently punched the Dane in the shoulder. Denmark managed to return a wry smile when an express train rushed passed them. The wind buffeted both men, and their hair was mused and stuck out in strange directions. Looking at the other's messy hair and bewildered expression, both men doubled up in laughter.

* * *

Norway groaned as his alarm clock resumed its annoying tune of beeping. He reached out to it blindly and hit the snooze button. The door clicked open as Finland popped his head in.

"Breakfast is ready Nor!" Finland chimed; his eyes were alight with a kind of fiery determination that no amount of water could seem to quell. Today, he was in high spirits, because today, he was going to thank the Swede.

**ooOoo **

Finland was adjusting his tie when Norway came in bleary eyed. Completely dazed and unfocused, Norway slumped onto the nearest stool and picked at his toast. The room was unusually clean, a result of their late night toil to freshen up the place. Norway yawned when Iceland entered the kitchen and sat across from Norway. Stuck in mid-yawn, Norway stared at his younger brother.

"What is with that get up?" Norway inquired, his eyes narrowed to scrutinize. Iceland was clad in torn denim jeans, his jacket was replaced with a battered sleeveless overcoat, his white shirt was half tucked into his jeans and his hair was a mess. " You look like some gangster."

Iceland looked up. "Does it concern you what I wear?"

"Yes! You're not stepping out of this house until you change!" Norway snapped. "If you don't change in 10 minutes, I'll let Mother know you're dressing like a hooligan!"

Iceland rolled his eyes and ignored the ultimatum. Norway had always been one to issue empty threats and he couldn't care less about what Norway thought.

"Are you going to practice dancing with that Chinese friend of your?" Finland asked, as he did the final touch up in the kitchen. "What was his name again? Hong Kong was it?"

"_Ugh_. Don't say dance like that. You make me sound like some _stupid ballerina_." Iceland scowled, indirectly saying the affirmative.

"Didn't I tell you not to mix with him?" Norway frowned, the older Ice got, the more rebellious he was. "And you're not going to go around like that! You're just asking for trouble. The principal's going to call me up again."

Iceland fixed a glare hard as flint at Norway. The glare was so cold that it did his name proud. " _Fuck off Nor_, who are you to talk?"

With that, Iceland picked up his school bag and exited the department.

"I don't need this!" Norway spat vehemently as the door slammed behind Iceland.

"And he just recovered too…" Finland said in dismay, " We didn't even tell him to expect a visitor later."

* * *

When Sweden and Denmark arrived at I2 the following day, Finland had been there to great them at the check in counter. Smiling innocently, he issued them the schedule for the day, starting with another talk by Japan. Both Sweden and Denmark made their way to the fourth floor, where Japan would wait for them with another 'explosive' presentation on yet another contraption that he had come up with overnight.

Finland stood where he was as he watched them both disappear around the corner. He noticed small details about the Swede, like how his glasses were silver and slightly rusted, or how the Swede had an air of underlying gentleness. Finland made mental notes on how broad Sweden's shoulders were and how his hair seemed to fall perfectly into place.

!

Did he really think that? Finland frowned at himself, before he stalked off to find the two Italian brothers at the company. They were both members of the media committee. Norway had suggested an animated commercial for the upcoming promotional video and one of the brothers so happened to be artistically inclined, so Finland deemed that he would be of great help with their current storyboard.

* * *

When it was finally lunch break, Finland had eagerly leaped down the stairs to meet the Swedish man. Of course, Norway was in tow. Norway was still bitter about the small bicker with Iceland, and he was twice as silent and irritable than he ever was.

As Sweden and Denmark emerged from Japan's office, Finland immediately jumped the gun.

"Sweden! Uhm would you like to come over after work today? It's- well- uhm… You see, I need to tell you something, which I wasn't able to. And it would be awkward to talk about such things at the office so…" Finland trailed off awkwardly, and he fidgeted with his hands.

Sweden felt his hard beat triple in speed as he misread Finland's meaning. He blinked in surprise and couldn't think of what to say. His mouth opened and closed strangely, like a fish trying to breathe on land.

"Can Den come too?" Sweden finally said.

"What?!" Denmark spluttered.

"Of course!" Finland laughed with oblivion.

"Fin _no_!" Norway moaned.

And that was how it was decided, that both Sweden and Denmark were going over.

**ooOoo**

"So you guys live together?" Sweden asked curiously. Both Sweden and Finland were walking in front. Walking so closely together, anyone would have guessed that the Fin and Swede knew each other for eons. Sweden personally found that their hands brushed ever so gently as they walked, he didn't really mind actually. He felt a kind of adrenaline rush inside him every time their hands made small contact. Sweden knew he shouldn't be thinking like this though he allowed himself to give in for just this once.

Denmark sulked further behind them as he watched Finland give a reply, his vibrant violet eyes sparked with something much more than just friendliness, something like admiration of the sort. It wasn't that he was jealous with his best friend; he just didn't like the thought of having going anywhere with the Norwegian. He had tried at some friendly conversations with Norway, but Norway had shot down all attempts of ice breaking.

Even further behind the Dane, Norway sulked. He was mad – very, very mad. He was livid, irritated and frustrated. Norway hated that Finland went back on his words and invited the Dane over, he was angry that the Dane was just there and he was angry at the prospect of seeing Iceland at home in that ghastly choice of clothes. He silently fumed at the back as they all trooped over to Finland and Norway's apartment.

* * *

Finland had just about gone berserk when upon reaching home; the house was once again in a terrible mess. It had taken him practically _forever_ before they had actually cleaned the house and this is what happened when they leave for work. Even worse was when Norway practically blew when he found that Iceland, together with his notorious friend Hong Kong, had been the cause for all the tattered mess.

It had taken Sweden a long time telling the Finn that he did not mind the mess when Finland almost broke down in disbelief. On the other hand, Norway snapped at Denmark to stay away and had asked him to go stay in the living room with Iceland.

"I'm so sorry, Sweden! It's not supposed to be like this but-but…!" Finland stammered, unable to hide his distress.

"It's ok," Sweden reassured him, " if you want, we can talk in the kitchen. It doesn't look that bad."

Finland was _extremely, positively adorable_ when he was distressed.

"Ah yes, yes of course! The kitchen! How silly of me. Would you like some tea? How about you Nor?" Finland gushed; his words were slurred together and it took some time before they could tell the sentences apart.

Sweden and Norway seated themselves around the central table while Finland got the water boiling. Denmark was sent to isolation with Iceland outside by Norway, who was still in a black mood.

Sweden observed the room. The kitchen was neatly arranged. On one wall, there was a rack that overlooked three stoves; spices in little jars with pictures on them were lined up neatly on the rack. Another wall was covered by a overhanging cabinet which was stocked high with canned goods and instant meals requiring minimal cooking. Below the cabinet stood an oven, still clean from lack of use. A small toaster stood by, the bronze casing reflected the soft lamplight. The silver fridge was shiny and looked new. Finland stood at the sink which was lined with little soap bottles, a whole dish rack stacked with plates of various sizes were lined up beside the sink along with glass cups while mugs hung from hooks attached to the wall.

Finland placed the kettle on the stove as he let himself relax. Yes it was true that his first impression was very much ruined, but Sweden did not seem to care. In fact, he seemed pretty ok with it. He smiled to himself, knowing that he would be able to deliver his gratitude soon.

* * *

"So what are you? A street dancer?" Denmark asked quietly as he sat in exile with Iceland.

"At least someone can tell!" Iceland huffed, " And what about you? Are you a clown?"

"I don't get you."

"It takes a lot for my brother to hate someone on sight…"

"Your brother…?"

"Norway."

After a nanosecond, Iceland tossed in an extra thought. " I hate him."

"Why? He's not that bad." Denmark conceded.

"He hates you. How can you say that? Are you a masochistic clown?"

"Jeez enough with the clown already." Denmark whined, feigning hurt.

Iceland let out a small laugh. "How come you're not my brother? Or Fin? Fin deserves a brother much more than Nor. And I much prefer Fin."

"Don't say stuff like that. You should feel blessed with the brother you have. I've always wanted a brother, and I guess I've found one – one who's not blood related" Denmark smiled as he looked in the direction of the kitchen. " Sweden's like my best friend and twin brother. Can't live a day without him."

Iceland looked at him skeptically; he didn't trust the man before him. This guy didn't know how _annoying_ a real brother could be.

"What's your name?" Denmark asked.

"Iceland…?"

Flashing Iceland his signature grin, Denmark laughed. " I'm Denmark. It's nice to meet you! You're a cool kid, Ice."

Reaching out, Denmark ruffled Iceland's already messy hair.

* * *

"So Sweden!" Finland smiled innocently, " You know how we first met. I'm pretty sure you were the one who actually saved me from that oncoming vehicle. On that day, I guessed I was pretty stunned stupid so I didn't manage to voice it out. So I'll say it today. Sweden, I'm really thankful that you saved my life! I didn't mean to seem like some ungrateful brat when I failed to thank you on that given day. So several days had passed, and I couldn't stop thinking about you and how I didn't show my gratitude. Then a miracle struck and somehow you're now working with our company and I feel really lucky to have a second chance.

"On the first day, I didn't really have time. On the second day, I kinda forgot. And so I'm making sure I do it today!"

Finland looked into Sweden's eyes, making the Swede feel slightly uncomfortable under such an intense stare. " Thank you Sweden!"

The room was filled with a terrible silence. Sweden felt his heart practically stop beating. He knew Finland hadn't wanted to talk about what he wanted; yet he had hoped that the Finn would actually hold some sort of affection for him and voice them out. He felt beaten and defeated, and he let out a breath, which he had not realized he had been holding in. The kettle had begun whistling on the stove but no one made a move to turn off the stove. Norway sat silently next to Finland observing Sweden. Somewhere outside, from the exiled pair, came a cheerful laugh. That jolted Sweden into action.

"Oh. That's nothing, really. Don't worry about it." Sweden tried to smile, but realized it was too much an effort so he replied in deadpan.

Finland grinned, as if he accomplished a complete feat. He knew he could let his heart settle now. Or that's what he believed when he went to prepare the tea.

* * *

Sweden had felt so crestfallen that he had declined Finland's invitation for dinner. Pulling the Dane along with him, they made an exit to the apartment. Finland stood at the doorway to see them off.

"You're always welcomed to come join us again!" Finland called cheerfully.

"Thank you." Sweden replied, his voice low and emotionless.

Finland watched as they turned to go, he noticed a sluggish movement in the Swede. Somehow, it tugged at his heart. To watch them go just like that, Finland felt as if something unsaid weighed him down. As if there was something he urgently needed to say, yet for some reason, he couldn't quite place his finger on it. As Denmark stopped to tie his shoelace, Sweden stopped and waited for the Dane. Finland's heart throbbed painfully as he watched Sweden. Clutching his chest, Finland understood. He bit his lower lip as he forked up his courage.

"Sweden!"

Sweden looked up in surprise and looked at Finland.

"…"

He knew it was a rush. Finland knew. And even Sweden knew. But it was a pull so strong.

"…"

He couldn't remember when it had started feeling like this for Sweden. Finland had always been aware of a certain kind of feeling he had held for the Swede and he had always thought it was his guilt conscience at work. Perhaps it was much more than that.

"…"

It was too good an opportunity to waste. He was thankful for the second chance he was given when he failed to thank Sweden. Now he was thankful for the second time he was given to say what else had been on his mind.

"I-I think I'm in love with you…"

It was soft, but in the quiet corridor, it was enough to be heard.

* * *

A/N: Hey Here's chapter 4, I should really be studying butttt ._.

Sorry if the story is too fast paced for you x_x I didn't want to rush it but I also didn't want to make it too long before Finland and Sweden got together.

Anyway in case you're wondering, express trains do exist in some countries where they actually skip several stops to save time.

And to my wonderful readers:

-HimekoUchia: I'm always so happy to read your reviews because they're long and interesting I like the fish idea, it's funny xD Except I'll need to find somewhere to slot the idea in.

- love1398: Thank you for the review It means a lot to me


	5. Chapter 5

If there was anything Denmark had learnt from the auspicious trip to Norway and Finland's house was that: one, Norway was afraid of clowns and two, Finland had more guts than Sweden had. Which was surprising, considering the bulk of Sweden; you'd think he'd have an ounce of bravery in his massive form, if there were any at all.

When Finland had unexpectedly called the attention of a numb and dull Swede, Denmark didn't know what to expect. So he was surprised by the sudden love confession, and being caught between the two involving parties was one of the most awkward moments he had ever experienced in his eventful life.

He had, of course, excused himself immediately and had hobbled to the elevator with one shoe on and the other off. His shoe laced hadn't been tied to perfection before Finland had decided to make his move. Denmark had smiled coyly to himself as he thought of the whole world of opportunities that had just opened up to his Swedish friend.

As he sat by the staircase landing for Sweden to make his appearance, Denmark began to tie his shoelaces again.

* * *

Time seemed to tick by ever so slowly as the Swede registered the words. Finland bit his lower lip as he watched Denmark make a hasty excuse and clumsily made his way out of the scene. Sweden was studying him carefully with a measured look, as if he was trying to make out whether it was all just a joke.

For a minute, violet eyes locked contact with crystal blue ones. For a minute, Finland forgot how to breathe. For a minute, nothing mattered but the two of them.

It hasn't been long since their first encounter, but it seemed as if their lives were interlaced and fated to meet. It was as if the pieces had finally fallen into place, and the gears started to rotate.

Sweden felt a bit suspicious to begin with. For the Finn to blurt out a sudden affection for the Swede, Sweden didn't know what to believe. His heart was caught in his throat as he heard Finland voice out what he had longed to hear since the day they met. He gazed intently at Finland, observing how the other's small stature looked even more petite in the midst of the events.

He glanced in the direction where Denmark had disappeared and wondered if he too should make an escape. Suddenly, he was afraid. What if it was a ploy – to play him like a game? He opened his mouth but no words came out. So he closed his mouth, his lips suddenly dry and his throat parched.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to. I mean I did but I… Well…" Finland broke the silence. Perhaps he should have thought things through before he opened his mouth. Mistaking the silence as a form of rejection, Finland said quietly, "I'm sorry. I-I… I understand."

Forcing a smile, Finland met Sweden's gaze with wavering confidence.

"Give me some time…" Finland whispered, " I'll settle down. Please don't misunderstand me."

At that moment, Sweden had two options. He could either make a run for it, or make his declaration of love. The thing was, Sweden was terribly lousy at expressing himself. Since his voice and words lacked convincing emotions, he often sounded as if he was completely disinterested.

As the silence stretched out once more, Sweden fidgeted and hastily mumbled, " I need to go."

He fled the scene with breakneck speed. His agility and aversion dismayed the Finn. He couldn't face him at work like this. At least Norway wouldn't need to know about his hopeless and undeniable crush on the Swede.

Finland closed the metal gates and locked the door. Letting out a dejected sigh, Finland turned around and let out a small yelp. His face turned a shade of dark red as he stood like an idiot because both Norway and Iceland were staring at him in mid-argument.

They heard. Everything.

* * *

"Yo Sve! How'd it go?" Denmark asked.

He had been dying to know how it went. He didn't measure how long it had been since he had escaped but it felt like as if millennia had passed before Sweden appeared.

"Nothing." Sweden replied dismissively, he wouldn't – couldn't – admit that he had been too much of a coward to answer the Finn honestly. He would feel too embarrassed and guilty.

"Well okay then. Talk to me when you're ready then."

Denmark had known Sweden since all his life; it had already been 15 years since their encounter in during their childhood days. Those 15 years hadn't been for nothing – he knew when Sweden was in a good mood and when he wasn't. And right now, he understood that Sweden wanted some time to himself.

**ooOoo**

Purchasing the tickets for their train at the ticketing booth, Denmark took in Sweden's terribly hesitant movements. He had thought that Finland's confession had been rain to the Swede's drought feelings. Sweden had been practically yearning for it – yet he seemed so distracted and unhappy.

Running his hands through his unkempt hair, Denmark realized that Sweden could sometimes be just as hard to handle as Norway ever was.

* * *

Norway had been hissing at Iceland quietly in the background when he heard Finland. The words had been amplified by the silence in the corridor and he had a double take when he heard Finland utter his feelings.

It wasn't that he was surprised about the Finn's feeling – the way Finland had kept chattering on and on about Sweden that it has led him to suspicion long ago – it was more of the fact that Finland had taken such a risk at saying such things.

How could Finland want to love someone so _explicitly_? Norway didn't understand love, he hadn't fallen in love – the only love he knew was that of his family and friend. Yes friend. His first and only friend had been Finland.

Norway looked at Finland; all signs of his argument with Iceland dissolved in thin air and receded to the back of his mind. Iceland looked pitifully at Finland and something else sparked in his eyes.

"Oops…?" Finland laughed shakily before the tears began to fall.

* * *

Sweden barely spoke a word to the Dane throughout the train ride home. Sweden had been observing the flashing scenery outside the window. Halfway through, Denmark had fallen asleep on some work documents that he had been sorting through. The peace was welcoming, and Denmark's presence was reassuring.

He frowned. He couldn't imagine the hurt he must have bestowed upon Finland, guilt gripped his heart with its ice-cold grip whenever he replayed the scene in his mind. There was so much hope in Finland's amethyst eyes; there had been enough hope to fuel a rocket to mars. And he crushed it. Indirectly of course, but he still crushed it anyway.

_Wasn't this what he wanted? _

Closing his eyes and dismissing all thoughts, Sweden calmed himself. Tomorrow was Saturday, that means he had the whole weekend away from all this trouble. Plus, on Monday he wasn't required to report to I2. He and Denmark have a progress report to make. That was a bonus day away from Finland. Enough time to gather his thoughts.

**ooOoo**

It was a fine Saturday morning, the weather report had promised clouds and later, some rain in the afternoon.

Checking the fridge, Sweden was in complete dismay as an empty fridge stared back at him mockingly. Perhaps it was time to start going on grocery trips as a weekly ritual. Sweden decided to relax over a cup of coffee at the nearest café and some pastry before he headed to the supermarket for some groceries.

Sweden grabbed his keys and headed for the door. As he exited his house and walked down the porch and turned down the driveway, he realized how empty and quiet it was to live alone. Maybe he should start pestering Denmark to share an apartment.

Sweden laughed as he waved the thought away. Denmark? Ha, no way. Not in his life.

…

What about Finland?

…

Sweden realized he couldn't persuade himself to dismiss the Finn as easily as he had dismissed Denmark. It would be ages into a relationship before anyone settled to live in his or her partner's appointment. Somehow Sweden didn't mind the thought of waiting.

**ooOoo**

As Sweden purchased his coffee and settled at a table that overlooked the busy street, he spied his colleague at another table, looking dazed as he observed the people getting on with heir daily lives.

Sweden noticed that Prussia looked a bit troubled, so, being the good colleague he was (which he was!), Sweden moved over to him.

"Can I sit here?" Sweden asked in his quiet voice.

"Huh? Wha-?" Prussia gushed as he became conscious of his surroundings, "Oh. Hey. Sure thing. Make yourself at home."

Prussia gestured to the seat opposite him and Sweden took a seat.

"So how's I2?" Prussia grinned half-heartedly as he tried to put on his usual obnoxious air, "Full of shit?"

"It's not that bad…"

"That's nice to know."

Sweden took a sip of his coffee as Prussia turned back to the window. Prussia's scarlet eyes softened as a happy couple walked by. Mindlessly stirring his coffee, Prussia watched the mass of people with a kind of longing.

"So what's bothering you?" Sweden asked quietly, he felt as if he was playing the role of Denmark. Denmark had so often repeated those exact words to him throughout all their years of acquaintance.

Prussia glanced at Sweden, judging how much to tell. He caved in and decided to tell his Swedish colleague everything.

"Hungary is what."

"What's wrong with her?"

"She's so…so… I don't know… So _stupid_!"

"How so?"

"I mean, _why_? I don't get it? Where's _the logic_ in all this!"

Sweden blinked. He didn't understand at all. Then it hit him. Denmark had talked about Hungary getting dumped by Austria.

"Is this about Hungary getting dumped by Austria?" Sweden probed carefully.

"Yes! It is _exactly_ that, and _more_!" Prussia spat before slumping into his chair completely defeated. "I mean, I've loved her for _years_. And she went for him.

"Then he dumped her and she's still _yearning_ for him. She's still trying to win his heart back. She even picked up violin for his sake but he wouldn't even so much as _look_ at her! She trails after him like a puppy. She sees _nothing_ but him, and when he wants nothing more to do with her, she's broken."

"Uh…"

"No, don't 'uh'. I still have _lots_ to say. I thought people always said God won't forsake those who work hard. I've been _good._ I've been _nice_. I haven't played a nasty trick on Spain since we were in _grade school_! I've been nice to Hungary. I've been there for her since Austria's dumped her. I've tried to cheer her up. But she _never _sees past Austria. He's got her wrapped around his finger. What do I have? Nothing! I'm sick of being second best. Why can't she _see_? _Am I not good enough?_ It hurts so badly…

"I talk to her, I comfort her. Austria _doesn't even try_ and he's got Hungary all over himself. I don't give two hoots about him being gentlemanly and what not. I've always played rough with Hungary, and she doesn't get angry at all… Maybe she never liked it but just never told me?_ I don't get it!_ _Why not me? When will it be me? _Will she ever see me the way she sees him? Why? Why? _Why?_ I mean, I love her - _a lot_. It's so unfair. People have it lucky all the time. Why can't I be the lucky one for once…"

Sweden sat speechless, unsure of what to say. Was this what it was like for Finland now? To be torn apart because the one they had fallen in love with didn't – or seemingly so – share the same affection?

He was at a complete loss for words. How he wished he had Denmark's talent and ability to babble.

"I can't help you much," Sweden replied slowly, carefully and quietly, " but I think she appreciates you being there. Maybe you ought to tell her how you feel. Give her some time, she'll realize it."

A bitter chuckle escaped Prussia's lips.

"How sure are you?"

"I'm not. But it's a risk worth taking."

* * *

Denmark shivered as the chilly breeze caressed the exposed bits of his skin. His hair was thrown into a wild dance in the wind. Denmark gritted his teeth. Today of all days his light bulb had to fuse. He was on his way to the convenient store to get a replacement bulb, and in this time and weather, everyone preferred to be snuggled in their beds.

Saturday had come and gone, and it was now Sunday. He didn't mind waiting till the next day till he got his replacement bulb, though he was currently in the midst of doing last minute sorting of several documents. The fact that one of the bulbs had fused in his study (the only place he could work without distraction) had disturbed him greatly. That small dark spot in the room was distraction enough for him, so Denmark had grudgingly dragged himself out of the comforts of his home to get that replacement bulb.

The convenient store was just in sight before a figure exited the store and ran down the street in Denmark's direction. The figure was followed suit by the store manager hot on his heels.

Before he realized, the figure came hurling right at him and they both stumbled over. An array of snacks spilled onto the ground and a can of carbonated drink slowly rolled along the pavement.

"_Shit!_"

Denmark glanced at his 'assaulter' and blinked at surprise as he recognized the snowy hair and deep purple eyes. _Iceland?_

At that moment, the manager came huffing up towards them. He grabbed Iceland by the arm and tugged him upwards.

"Got you!" the manager sneered. "Thought you could get away from me, did you?"

"Ah. Cuba, how can I help you?" Denmark pitched in.

Cuba stared at Denmark. "Denmark! Do you know this kleptomaniac boy?"

Denmark blinked. _Oh_.

"Yeah. Uhm, my nephew. He's my nephew. Did he steal all this?" Denmark asked innocently as he gestured to the spilled goods scattered across the pavement.

"Yeah. This son of a bitch." Cuba growled as he shook Iceland roughly by the arm. Iceland winced but said nothing.

"Hey. Ok I get it. Look I'll pay for all this ok? And don't bad mouth my sister! She's not a bitch." Denmark lied smoothly, " Give him a chance, yeah? Don't get the police involved. I'll make sure he learns his lesson."

Cuba eyed him unconvinced but gave in, " Okay. I trust you. But the next time your nephew comes blundering into my store and steals my stuff, it's off to the boy's home for him!"

Turning to Iceland, Cuba hissed, " You hear me kid?"

"Yes…" Iceland mumbled incoherently.

**ooOoo**

"So what were you planning to do with all this?" Denmark asked as he sat next to Iceland at the curb of the sidewalk. The night was eerily quiet; the road was unusually empty. Denmark handed Iceland the bag of goods Iceland had attempted to steal.

"You're going to tell Nor aren't you?" Iceland sniffed quietly.

"Well, he has to know, right? Though it'll probably get me on his "Forever hated" list, or he might not even believe me."

"…"

"Look, I won't tell ok?" Denmark sighed. He was a sucker for these kinds of situations. He often helped the helpless.

"Really?" Iceland had perked up considerably.

"Yeah, but hey, dude, promise me one thing. No more okay? No more stealing and stuff."

"Of course. It's just that…" Iceland trailed off, not sure of what to say.

"Why are you so far from home anyway?" Denmark asked curiously.

"Well, it's Hong Kong's birthday soon, and I promised him I'll perform with him on his birthday. Nothing gives him more thrill than live performances. But you know, Nor hates him loads. I don't understand why. He's like the best guy I've ever known!" Iceland's eyes sparked with happiness as he began to talk about Hong Kong.

"And Hong Kong's taught me everything I've known. I like performing with him. It makes me feel as if I'm worth something.

" Today, Nor wanted me to help out with the clearance of the house since we didn't do that on Saturday or Friday 'cause Fin was too upset and all. But I had practice today. So I fought with Nor and by the time I realized it, I was running real late for practice.

"I kinda dashed out and took the cab to our meeting place, which is a small performance theatre just down the road over there." Iceland pointed.

"Before I realized it, I didn't have any money for a ticket home and I can't bear to call Nor on my phone, he'll be raging mad. And Fin's too messed up to come help. So I'm stuck here – and hungry."

Denmark looked at him sympathetically. Norway could be a bit harsh at times. "I'm sure they're worried sick about you. And what's this about Finland being 'messed up'?"

"Your friend rejected him. Didn't you know? Didn't he tell you?"

"Well no." Denmark bit back his surprise, he knew something bad had happened but for Sweden to actually _reject Finland_? Never mind, he'll solve it somehow.

"You say you do live performances?" Denmark asked.

"Yeah. We're street dancers so we perform on the streets!"

"Cool. I'd like to see that. When is it?"

Iceland brightened. "Really? That would mean so much to me! Thanks! Nor never comes. Neither does Fin. Here, give me your number. I'll keep you informed about the date and venue!"

After their exchange of numbers, Denmark asked, "Could I have Finland's number too? I have a feeling my friend would want it soon."

Iceland looked at him quizzically, but gave it all the same.

"Oh and hey," Denmark said fishing his wallet out of his pocket, " Here's some money. The next train usually leaves at 10.50, better go catch it before it leaves. Nothing happened tonight."

Standing up, Denmark ruffled Iceland's hair fondly as he started down towards home.

He was speculating the possibilities. Yes, there was quite a lot to do on Monday.

* * *

A/N: Hello all! The plot has moved once more! :3 There's been a few conflicts planned out for this story already, heck I have a Freytag's Pyramid with maybe 3 or 4 peaks, of course there's only one major one. (:

Where I live, Saturday and Sunday make up the weekend. I only say so because in some countries ( I believe) it's not the same. I have a friend who moved to Doha and she says the weekends are made of Fridays and Saturdays. Ho hum.

Also thank you for the reviews. :D

To my readers:

Blackcat: Suspense is the best kind of ending you'll ever get xD Thanks for the review anyway! I hope you enjoy the latest update.

UnknownMisery: thank you! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you! (:

EatingIsMyThing: Haha yeah! That's the exact same thing my Chemistry teacher always tell me! Maybe it's something chemistry teachers are taught to say xP

HimekoUchia: OMG THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU XD Your long review is very much appreciated so I will try to give you a quite long reply too! (: Yes, I have decided to throw in several pairings like IceHK, DenNor and PruHun ( Being an abid fan of these myself!) I'm not sure about any scene I've plotted for Denmark, Norway and Iceland to appear together, but I can assure you there'll be a quarrel between Denmark and Norway over Iceland's welfare :P Well, here you see Norway isn't really being the best brother he could be so you can't really pity him can you? XD Thanks for the review again! -^^-

KioniYuki: Thank you for the review! Yes Finland has lots o' guts. Unlike a certain Swede. Hint hint ;)


	6. Chapter 6

It was Monday and Finland dragged himself out of bed. Still heavy with rejection – he didn't know it would hurt so badly – he plodded his way to the kitchen. Norway had been extremely displeased with Iceland's late return but decided to leave the case to rest to prevent Finland's feelings from going haywire again. Norway had settled for a cold shoulder.

Fixing up breakfast, Finland took a seat at the centre table as he picked at the scrambled eggs and toast. He didn't feel hungry. Finland sniffed. He didn't want to die because of a simple rejection! He's going to eat this _unappetizing, grey, and bland looking_ breakfast of toast and eggs. He shook his head; he was just putting himself off his meal.

At that moment, Norway plopped in. Fixing his black tie, Norway's fingers slipped carefully over the material, creating a loop before pulling the knot tightly into the place.

"G'morning," Finland chirped with pseudo attitude.

Looking up, Norway cocked an eyebrow.

"How're you feeling today?" Norway probed gently. It had surprised him how much weight Finland had lost in just a time phase of two days. The Finn looked almost hollowed out, and it was probably due to the fact that Finland refused to eat much during meal times.

Rejection was a scary thing.

"Oh, the usual." Finland said monotonously; he couldn't really keep up the falsity; it was too troublesome and tiresome. Finland had always been one to wear his heart on his sleeve. Pretending wasn't his forte.

Looking at the remaining bits of his eggs and half eaten toast, Finland felt slightly nauseated. He really wasn't in the mood for eating.

* * *

Sweden walked into the building of the Little Hero and stepped into the lift. Sweden's cell phone buzzed in his pocket as he clocked in his arrival with his own ID card. Sweden walked into the office and watched as his other colleagues warmed up to the day. After placing his briefcase at his workspace, Sweden pulled out his phone and checked it. A message. From Denmark. Not very special. Sweden opened the message and read the text.

"Gonna b late. Overslept. Heh. Cover 4 me."

Tsk. How typical of him.

**ooOoo**

Sweden had just brewed himself some coffee at the little machine out back, at the little corner for people to take a break. Though some people stayed there for eons, claiming that they were working. He pulled out his laptop and switched it on; it was time he started on the progress report.

Sweden's workplace was neat, the folders and tutorial books were neatly lined up against the segregator walls and he had installed a neat rack at the side to put in sheets of papers and conference notes bound together by black butterfly clips. The segregator wall also had a pin board neatly hung up with blu-tack, and on the board, important meeting dates and notes left by other colleagues were pinned up with colourful thumbtacks.

Sweden also had a thing for cute ornaments. His table was lined with little handmade wooden animals that he had bought at a street bazaar once, and he had stabilized them with more blu-tack. His stationary holders also radiated an aura of innocence as cute illustrations of sheeps dotted the holders.

Denmark's workspace was just behind Sweden's, and Denmark's was as cluttered as it will ever be. True, the papers were neatly stacked, though in no absolute order, so when the Dane was in a rush and was looking for something, the papers flew all over the place. Notebooks were all left on the table in a haphazard manner, and some weren't even closed. The stationary was strewn all over the table, pens were uncapped and highlighters left to bleed on some papers.

They were practically two worlds apart.

"Hiya Sve!"

Sweden jumped. Turning around, he was startled to find the emerald-eyed Hungary staring at him intently.

" Morning, Hungary." Sweden replied, slightly puzzled. Was he meant to pass her something?

"So…?" Hungary hinted.

"Uh…" Sweden was speechless. _Maybe Denmark told her about Fin and me!_ Silently cursing the Dane, Sweden quickly added, "It's not what you think…"

"It's not?" Hungary frowned.

"Uhm, no."

"Oh. Well, in that case, I think I just wasted a good hundred bucks."

"You actually _betted_ on me?"

"_What?_ No! Sve, what are you talking about? I'm talking about my hair! I've just got it styled like Austria's new girlfriend. D'you think he'll pay some attention to me now?" Hungary batted her pretty green orbs at Sweden, hoping he'd agree.

"If he didn't notice the change, I don't think Austria would."

Hungary turned around to greet the newcomer.

"Denmark you jerk!" Hungary pouted.

"Good morning to you too," Denmark laughed. "I was running late so I drove today. Be prepared to be stunned by my totally beautiful car. Seems like our boss is even later than I am though."

"Maybe you ought to just leave him already," Sweden prompted Hungary quietly. Truth be told, he didn't really care what Hungary did, but he did care for the Prussian who was silently hurting.

"Oh no, not you too!" Hungary whined.

Just then, Mr. Jones waltzed into the office and it was trigger enough to get everyone to start work.

**ooOoo**

Sweden had just returned from lunch break alone ( because Denmark hadn't even started on his progress report and had decided to use lunch hour to catch up) when Hungary and Prussia had launched themselves into a verbal fight.

As Sweden entered the office floor, he noticed the weary, heavy and extremely dreary atmosphere that clung to the air. As he made his way to his workspace, Sweden noticed Denmark still working away at his progress report.

Sweden dragged his swivel chair to Denmark and sat down.

"Brought ya some bread from the bakery." Sweden said.

"Hmm?" Denmark said, throwing Sweden a sideways glance. " That's thoughtful of you. Thanks."

"What happened here?"

"Prussia and Hungary were having a go at each other. Though it's only quiet now because someone sent Spain to suss them out."

"Was it that bad?"

"Trust me, it's like all of hell just broke lose in here. Hungary was raging, dude. She was shrilling and screaming and crying."

"And what about Austria?"

"Gone for lunch like about almost everyone else?"

At that moment, more screams erupted from the little relaxation corner.

"Get the _fuck_ out of here Spain. This is not your place!"

A bit of murmuring could be heard before Spain slumped out from round the corner. Looking slightly rumpled and defeated, Spain walked over to his table before slumping down in his chair.

"We're going to help them." Sweden decided.

"Woah, what? You do not want to get in that mess, Sve. Seriously!" Denmark stared with wide eyes at Sweden. The way Denmark had looked at him made him feel as if he had suggested that both of them go skydiving without the ropes tied to their waists.

"You're coming with me."

"Hey! Wha-"

With that, Sweden tugged at Denmark until he managed to drag the shorter man over to Prussia and Hungary.

Hungary looked distraught, her eyes were swollen and puffy and tears streamed down in endless rivulets. Prussia, on the other hand, looked stumped, utterly, completely stumped. His ruby eyes diverged from Hungary's green ones, the colour clash were somewhat endearing. Red and green, just like the colours of Christmas, worked well together.

Suddenly Sweden felt a need to bring them together.

"I'm sorry, okay? It's just that…" Prussia trailed off pathetically as he scratched the back of his head. "Oh never mind, what's the point. I'll just go already."

Prussia slipped past Denmark and Sweden and disappeared around the corner.

"Hungary…?" Sweden spoke up.

"Why me? What did I do to deserve this?" Hungary wailed, as fresh tears sprung to her eyes.

"You know, Prussia likes you a lot… It hurts him to see you so down. Why don't you give him a chance? I think everyone should be given a chance at love…"

**ooOoo**

"Sentimental, weren't you?" Denmark smirked. "Come on, I'll give you a lift today. So you can admire the handicraft of my beautiful, wonderful car."

They had just handed in their progress reports; Denmark had peppered his report with a lot of lies and junk to lengthen his terribly short report. ("We haven't made any progress at all! What should I put in my report?")

As they got into the car, Denmark revved up the engine and made a move to switch on the radio before Sweden stopped him. Denmark's taste for music was a whole _universe _away from what Sweden liked.

"Anyway, about what you said," Denmark said distractedly as he pulled his car out of the parking lot. "You said 'everyone should be given a chance at love'. What about Finland?"

Sweden bit his lower lip. "About Finland and I, well…"

"Save it Sve, I heard the whole thing from Norway's lil' brother. Ran into him somewhere." Denmark made a vague gesture with his hand as he drove out the car park.

"What should I do?"

"Tell him of course!" Denmark laughed. Digging into his back pocket, Denmark whipped out his cell phone and tossed it to Sweden. "Finland's number. Take it."

Sweden smiled slightly. Sometimes he loved Denmark so much he could just hug him to death.

* * *

It was 7pm. He had tried to get started at 6pm. Sweden stared at his mobile phone. 1 whole hour, trying to come up with the perfect text message to explain everything. But all he had in his phone was a blank screen, screaming at him to throw in some words.

_How about " Hello Finland"?_ Sweden thought dismally. No, that wouldn't do. It was too formal. How about 'Hey Finland'? That was too informal. Or what about what Den always use – "Yo!"? Hah, who was he kidding, that was too out of character for him.

Sweden glared at his phone.

"Hi Finland."

…

Sweden deleted it again after second thoughts. It sounded too shrewd.

"How are you Finland?"

Sweden deleted that too. What, it wasn't like he hadn't seen the Finn since the Middle Ages; he hadn't even lived that long.

"How's it going, Finland?"

Sweden groaned; this was going to take forever. He deleted the sentence and tried to start over again.

**ooOoo**

It was 7.30pm when Sweden had finally sent out the text. Jittery from nervousness and sleepy with exhaustion, Sweden sat in his living room as he waited for Finland to reply. He even decided to disturb his Danish friend while he waited.

* * *

Finland had only just finished clearing up his office – more like studio since he and Norway were in charge of media – at 7.30pm. Norway had gone to the gents before they would make the final round up check and head for home.

As Finland looked out of his office, he could see Japan slouched over his computer. It has been said that Japan was tasked with the important duty of submitting a progress report to Mr. Kirkland about the joint project with the Little Hero company. Turns out they hadn't started much and Japan hadn't had anything to churn out for the report.

Seeing that everything was all set to go, Finland sat down and whilst waiting for Norway, decided to check his phone.

His heart had probably caught in his throat as he read the text. Fireworks exploded in his heart as he read the text. His smiled himself silly as he read it twice over, then a third time, then a fourth and he kept at it until Norway came.

In the end, Sweden had gone for "Hey Finland".

…

"Hey Finland, this is Sweden. I'm sorry about the other day. It wasn't intentional; I'm not good at expressing myself you see. Well, you caught me by surprise, and I panicked. I didn't know what to do, and due to my sad inability to speak convincingly, I didn't know what to say. Since Denmark had kindly excused himself from the scene, I felt my confidence disappear with him. I'm sorry if I hurt you, I really am. But please, if you could find it in your heart to give me a second chance, I'd appreciate that. Because as afraid as I am to admit it… I really like you too…"

Yes, Finland felt as if he could explode. It was a good kind of explosion though.

* * *

"Haven't you got anything better to do? Zzz…"

Sweden snorted at Denmark's reply. It was funny to see that Denmark didn't appreciate irritating disturbance when the Dane had so often done just that to Sweden.

It was 7.45pm when Finland's reply came.

"Heh heh. Of course I'd forgive u (: Cya tmr."

Sweden had never felt so triumphant in a long time.

* * *

The next day Sweden was filled with intoxicating happiness. He was full of energy and he was about to burst from all the joy and excitation that had swelled inside him. If this was what love did to you, then Sweden was enjoying every moment of it. He got out of bed ten whole minutes (that's a lot you know!) earlier than usual, he had hummed a happy tune as he stirred up some coffee and prepared some cereal for himself.

People would have been scared _shitless_ if they had seen Sweden in the state he was in. It was, to say the least, terrifying to see Sweden as he was. A large smile had spread across his face as he remembered the short conversation that he had with Finland over the phone last night. It was a sort of pointless conversation; talking about things that didn't mattered like dinner, or what they were doing. But it was fun. It was one of those silly pointless things that lovers did together, but it made them happy anyway so who cares?

Sweden felt so happy he could have just danced around all day, prancing from room to room. Yes, prancing.

Grabbing his phone, he decided to spread the joy to Denmark by disturbing his friend again. He had gone crazy on the phone as he told Denmark everything; Denmark had been thrilled for Sweden but that one sharing hadn't been enough to expel all the happiness in his soul.

He typed like he had never typed before.

"Morning Den. Taxi? I'll pay today. Take advantage of my happiness, why don't ya."

The reply was almost instantaneous.

"God, Sve, it's like only 8am. Wth? Go get some sleep. We don't need to c them until 10. I don't care if u're dying to see Finland. Heck, he might still be asleep now."

Sweden snorted.

"Why are you up so early then?"

…

"I'm not. Your damn text woke me up. I'm sensitive k? Text in half an hour later. I'll take you up on your offer."

Sweden shrugged, he was too happy to be care about Denmark's snappy replies. In fact, he couldn't care about anything in the world. He was too, extremely happy. Enough said.

**ooOoo**

At work, both had been fizzy with joy, although Sweden was still able to keep his composure. Finland, on the other hand, had been talking at practically a million words an hour. He couldn't stop even if he wanted to.

* * *

Norway had been happy to see the perk. Though Finland still hardly ate, it seemed that Finland had gotten over his depressed and moody days. It was good. It was a positive change for the Finn. When Finland had spewed all the good news the day before, Norway couldn't help but feel relieved for Finland.

Finland had been buzzing since, thinking of the world of possibilities he could be doing. Not in the perverse sense though. Maybe love wasn't such a bad thing.

Norway glanced at Finland and watched as the younger male talked animatedly to his stoic companion. They were practically official now, although it hadn't been said before between the two.

It was lunch hour now and they had gone back to the eatery where Finland had first invited Sweden and Denmark. Allowing Finland and Sweden to bask in their newfound relationship, Norway and Denmark had courteously agreed that both Sweden and Finland could both make an order first.

Norway glanced at Denmark, who was watching the pair disappear with profound joy. Denmark didn't seem jealous, just genuinely happy for his friend. Norway turned his gaze to Finland and Sweden and watched the small of their backs before the swarm of people blocked them both out.

* * *

Sweden had tagged after Finland who was grinning and laughing nonstop for the past few hours since they had met. It had been hard to work when his mind kept wandering to little Finland. Now he had to take the next daring move.

He had talked to Denmark in the cab; had asked Denmark what he should do. Denmark had laughed at him.

"Dude, Sve, I've never been in a relationship before man." Denmark had pointed out. "You've got to figure this part out on your own."

But Sweden had figured it out anyway. He was going to invite Finland out on a date. His mind was filled with possibilities; a posh dinner at some restaurant, a trip to the amusement park and an end to the night by the big apple tree near the funfair grounds – it was perfect for star gazing and to watch the luminous firework displays later at about 11pm. He had it all planned. All he had to do now was ask Finland out.

As they lined up at one of the food stores, Finland cocked his head sideways at Sweden. The queue was short and the stocky lady manning the stall was chatting up conversations with her customers as she waited for the food to cook. Sweden wasn't even aware of what they had lined up for. Some noodle of the sort as he examined the menu.

"Are you okay?" Finland inquired, his eyebrows knitted together in a worrisome gaze, " you haven't said anything for the past few minutes. I know I've been rambling, but do feel free to cut in when you feel like it."

Sweden blinked. Right, of course. Now was his time.

"Uhm hey Finland."

"Yeah? Oh, you can stop calling me Finland any time you know. It's too formal. Fin is good, I mean everybody calls me Fin and I like it that way. I don't remember who first called me that but-"

"Fin."

"Oops. What's wrong?"

"W-Would you consider hanging out with me? You know, get to know each other… And stuff…"

"Oh! When?"

"I dunno. After work? On the weekend?"

"Weekend sounds good!" Finland's eyes glittered. Maybe it was the lighting, or his imagination, but _boy_ those eyes were beautiful.

"Is that a yes?" Sweden prompted.

"You know I wouldn't say no."

Things were going great for Sweden; no one could deny it.

* * *

Denmark huffed. The air was chilly at this time of the day. It was Thursday evening. Two days ago, Denmark had received a text from Iceland. "Thursday, 8pm, by Crosswood Street. At the long walkway. Can't miss it, don't be late!" It had read. Denmark had smiled at that. It was pretty obvious that Iceland enjoyed what he did, and the fact that Norway didn't support his brother in this, well that was just sad.

It was 7.58pm, and a considerable crowd had gathered. Denmark had brought a small bag with a little camcorder in it, a laptop, a floppy disk, and other junk, which he had grabbed and stuffed down his bag. He was going to record Iceland's performance and he was going to save it. For memory keeps.

Squeezing his way through the crowd, Denmark managed to settle himself somewhat near the front. Whipping out his camcorder, he began adjusting the settings when he spotted Iceland and Hong Kong. Iceland had been clad in some ripped denim jeans (a seemingly favourite of the youngster) and a black singlet, black leather gloves exposing his fingertips, a red bandana draped across his forehead and black sneakers. It was the perfect image of a street hoodlum.

Hong Kong came as a shock to Denmark. He had the startling resemblance to Japan from I2. Hong Kong too was wearing matching clothing to Iceland. The clothes items only differed in colour. Hong Kong's bandana was a deep shade of Prussian blue and his singlet was a startling white, the sneakers were a crimson red.

As Hong Kong made his way to the little stereo at the side of the street, Denmark finished the adjustments on his camcorder.

Loud, blaring music filled the area and the onlookers began clapping to the beat. A smile played across Iceland's lips. This was where he felt at home.

The music pulsed and the performance began. Denmark lifted the camcorder to eye level.

"Lights, camera, action…"

_beep!_

* * *

A/N: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, I FELT SO HIGH TYPING OUT THE PART WHERE FIN AND SVE WERE TEXTING. AND I STIL AM, HAHAHAHAHAHA. It's like freaking 3.56AM here, and I should be sleeping. I also have my chemistry practical test on Monday so whoops. Haha! Well, this chapter was churned out in the middle of the night, so I apologise for the rush through. I don't have time to proof-read this, but do bear with me. I'm half dead at this ungodly hour. Also, you probably won't hear from me until December because my major exams are coming and stuff then I'm going to have a load of fun in Japan before the release of my results The next chapter though, will be a lot of the development of Denmark and Norway's relationship (:

PS. For those who don't know, wth= what the hell :T I don't think anyone would be outdated with this but you know, just in case ;)

To my lovely readers:

HimekoUchia: YOU ARE THE MOST FAITHFUL READER I HAVE EVER MET, :') THANK YOU. I love your reviews and your ideas. I'm also pretty curious, are you Asian? Because I am, I only speak English, Chinese and Japanese and I barely passed my Chinese major exam this year ^^; Also, see, Sweden can also fix up a broken relationship xD Though I've never been in one before so I wouldn't know what it'll be like. And I'm sorry to hear that you have naughty siblings, I'm the younger sibling so I don't know how bad I annoy my sister. But on the other hand, my sister could be a real life female version of Sweden, only she's got this annoying Prussia side. Hah! And yes, Denmark will only get sweeterrr~ ;) Also, I'm actually rushing all these chapters because all the ideas are fresh in my head. If they rot after my major exams, I might lose the inspiration to continue this story and it won't be updated until I die. X_X

Guest: Here's the next chapter. I hope the relationship has been rectified enough? U_U


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